“With the fresh outlook that this team has, with some of the pieces that they’ve added, I think team chemistry will definitely be better,” Szczerbiak said. “Team chemistry goes a long way over a course of an 82-game season. I think that’s going to help the Knicks become a playoff team this year.”

But there are no certainties in the NBA and Szczerbiak cautions Knicks fans in thinking that new coach Derek Fisher will turn the team into an instant success.

“You can never guarantee anything in [the NBA],” he said. “Other teams are competitive. Other general managers do a great job of finding players. You never think you got anything figured out in this league.”

The Knicks begin their journey back to the postseason Wednesday at The Garden against the Bulls. Live coverage gets under way at 7 PM on MSG.